In the 11-year period of 2005 through 2015, canines killed 360 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 64% (232) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »

Monday, June 16, 2008

Pit Bulls Top Tulsa Police ShootingsUPDATE: 06/16/08: A Tulsa police report shows of the 33 vicious dogs shot by officers since January 2007 more than two dozen were pit bulls. Tulsa officers shot 26 pit bulls, one rottweiler, one German shepherd and five dogs whose breed was not identified. Of the dogs shot by police officers, 79% were pit bulls. This percentage rate likely mimics all major US cities, most notably reported by the New York Police Department.

06/13/08: Tulsa Going to the Pits
Tulsa, OK - There have been two pit bull attacks in Tulsa in the past 24 hours. The first victim was a six-year-old girl. The second was a postman. So far this year there have been 43 pit bull bites, three times more than any other breed. The past couple of years show one in every three dog bites in Tulsa came from a pit bull. Pit bull owners like to say those statistics don't tell the entire story, but they do not provide a logical explanation that does.

The little girl was feeling well enough to tell reporters what happened. “I was riding on my bike and this little boy had a long leash and there was a dog on it and it went up to my bike and bit me.” Her mother says her daughter was lucky it wasn't worse. "I think it [the pit bull] needs to be put to sleep." Fat chance -- instead that dog will be living across the street again, and long before the little girl's wounds heal.

In further disturbing Tulsa news, it appears the Tulsa Animal Shelter is reversing it's policy regarding pit bull adoption. The shelter will once again start adopting pit bulls out to the community. This action was taken due to legal advice, "We are complying with state law," said shelter manager Jean Letcher. "We cannot regulate based upon breed, and not allowing (pit bull) adoption is regulation."

The Tulsa Animal Shelter originally implemented the prohibition of pit bull adoption to prevent their use in illegal dogfighting.

4 comments:

David | 6/15/2008 9:48 PM | FlagMy brother owns a rental property next door to a place where a pit bull lives, also a rental property, owned by the "Captain of the Fire Department" Phil Penn. This dog attacked the mailman recently and one of my brother's renters saw the attack. This was the wife of a State Policeman. The mailman used maze on the dog and was not injured. The dog is still there. I guess it will be there until it kills someone.The State Policeman did go to the Animal Shelter, the woman there owns a pit bull and says they are the most wonderful dogs. So probably not much help there.

Mrs.Poodle | 7/03/2008 2:52 PM | FlagJean Letcher, manager of the Tulsa Animal Shelter and supervisor of the city's animal control officers, said people shouldn't stereotype pit bulls as aggressive by nature.

"I believe the aggressiveness is a combination of training and being bred to defend and protect property and/or an individual," she said.

????????????I thought it didn't matter that they were bred to kill other dogs. But in this article apparently it does matter what they are bred for. Only this woman(self proclaimed pitbull expert) seems to think they were bred as guard dogs.

And this woman is in charge of placing dogs into people's homes? Scary.